Entomology is the scientific study of insects. Insects have many kinds of interactions with humans and other forms of life on earth, so it is an important specialty within biology; unlike many other fields, however, entomologists include both persons studying insects for their own sake, and those employed by commercial concerns interested in the control of insects. This divides the field into basic and applied entomology. Like other fields of zoology, however, nearly any field of biology can, when using insects as the study organisms, be said to have an entomology-based subdiscipline (e.g., insect ecology, insect taxonomy, insect ethology, insect neurobiology, insect biochemistry, insect embryology, etc.)

Though technically inappropriate, the definition is sometimes widened to include the study of terrestrial animals in other arthropod groups or other phyla, such as arachnids, myriapods, earthworms, and slugs.

1 History of entomology
2 Applied entomology
3 Identification of insects
4 Taxonomic specialization
5 Organizations
6 Museums
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History of entomology

See also: Timeline of Entomology

Entomology is rooted in nearly all human cultures from prehistoric times, but scientific study began only as recently as the 16th century.

[edit] Applied entomology

Many entomologists are employed in the study of insects that are directly beneficial or harmful to humans. The study of beneficial insects is primarily focused on their ecology and life habits, the primary concern being the understanding of how to raise them and make them more productive (often as imported biological control agents), or protect them from human disturbance, if they are native species such as wild bees.

Conversely, much of the study of insects (and related arthropods) that directly harm human beings or their domestic animals (called medical entomology and veterinary entomology) is focused on their physiology, with the goal of developing insect controls that are effective while minimizing undesirable side effects. For instance, many types of insecticides have been developed that target unique aspects of insect physiology and are thus harmless to other kinds of animals. A risk to this approach is that insecticides can also kill beneficial insects. Considerable recent effort has gone into finding biological controls such as species-specific parasites and diseases, as well as genetic controls, such as the introduction of sterile insects into a population. The combination of taking into account all aspects of insect biology, available control measures, economics, and environmental considerations is known as integrated pest management.

A few insects, chiefly blood-sucking Diptera, are vectors for a wide range of deadly diseases. This [1] North Carolina website discusses some. Mosquitoes are especially important disease vectors. Also see this very useful "Compendium of References on Flies and Disease [2]" and the fascinating "Field Guide to Venomous and Medically Important Invertebrates Affecting Military Operations"[3].

A fuller discussion of applied entomology is given under the title Economic entomology.

Forensic entomology specializes in the study of insect ecology for use in the legal system, as knowledge of insect behavior can yield useful information about crimes. For example, the approximate time of death or whether or not a victim was alive during a fire may be determined by using facts such as what stage of life an insect found at the scene is in.

[edit] Identification of insects

Insects other than Lepidoptera are typically identifiable only through the use of Identification keys and Monographs. Because the class Insecta contains a very large number of species and the characters separating them are unfamiliar, and often subtle (or invisible without a microscope), this is often very difficult even for a specialist. Books: U.S.A. Arnett,Ross H. American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico CRC Press, 2000 ISBN: 0-8493-0212-9

Insect identification is an increasingly common hobby, with butterflies and dragonflies being the most popular. Sites such as BugGuide.net, What's That Bug?, InsectAsylum and Diptera.info cater to those wanting to find out about an insect they have seen or captured by posting insect photographs and responding to requests for identification help.

[edit] Taxonomic specialization

Many entomologists specialize in a single order or even a family of insects, and a number of these subspecialties are given their own informal names, typically (but not always) derived from the scientific name of the group:

Apiology (or melittology) - bees
Coleopterology - beetles
Dipterology - flies
Heteropterology - true bugs
Lepidopterology - moths and butterflies
Myrmecology - ants
Orthopterology - grasshoppers, crickets, etc.
Trichopterology - caddis flies

[edit] Organizations

Like other scientific specialties, entomologists have a number of local, national, and international organizations. There are also many organizations specializing in specific subareas.